


i will

by Kit_Kat21



Series: Beatles Tribute [28]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Moving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22453447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kit_Kat21/pseuds/Kit_Kat21
Summary: “They want us to move to the Neck?” Sansa finally spoke.“They obviously aren’t expecting an answer tonight or even this week,” Jon hurried out. “They obviously know this is a massive decision for us and our family.”
Relationships: Jon Snow/Sansa Stark
Series: Beatles Tribute [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/905319
Comments: 221
Kudos: 168





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "I Will" was written by Paul McCartney and is on the White Album. Per McCartney: "It's still one of my favorite melodies that I've written."

…

He was terrified, he admitted; enough of a man to admit it. Absolutely terrified.

He stood in the entryway to their kitchen/family room from the hallway, watching Sansa as she was curled on their couch, drinking from a mug of hot chocolate and reading a book. Martha, their Siberian Husky, was asleep next to her, curled over Sansa’s feet and keeping them warm.

The house was quiet. All of the kids were upstairs, asleep. The kitchen was cleaned up from dinner, things were as straight as they could be with a large family, and most of the lights were off. Jon knew the time to talk with his wife had come and the sooner he talk with her about this, the better. This was certainly something that couldn’t be held off until the last possible moment. The discussion was too important and there were too many variables if they decided to do this.

_“Talk with the Mrs., Snow, and let us know,”_ Stannis had said just this morning.

Jon took a deep breath, reminding himself that he could do this, and Martha heard him, lifting her head. Sansa then turned her head to see what had gotten the dog’s attention and she smiled when she saw Jon.

“Hey,” she said. “Max finally asleep?”

“Yeah. Finally.” Jon came into the family room, coming around the side of the couch to sit down on Sansa’s other side so Martha wouldn’t have to move. “I would love to know where he gets it from. None of us are night owls and no matter how many times I tell him that he’s not missing anything if he goes to sleep, he doesn’t seem to believe me.”

“Nothing good happens after nine,” Sansa commented.

“I thought it was midnight.”

“Nine for me. I am definitely not a night owl,” she said and Jon grinned at that.

Sansa smiled, closing her book and leaning forward, she slid it onto the coffee table. She offered Jon her mug and Jon took it, smiling his thanks, before taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

Even after he swallowed it, he swallowed again. “I need to talk with you about something.”

“Alright.” Sansa was instantly curious, he could both see and hear it, and even with Martha on her feet, she managed to turn herself a bit more towards him. “Is everything alright?”

He paused, thinking that question over, and he then shook his head. “I honestly don’t know.”

“Tell me,” Sansa said quietly, gently.

Jon paused and then leaned forward, sliding the mug onto the coffee table next to her book. He then turned towards her, taking a deep breath. “I spoke with Stannis and Robert this morning. Snow Construction is doing so well here in the North. We went over the numbers and it’s… we’re doing _really_ well.”

That made Sansa smile and she reached out, a hand going to the back of his head. “I’m so happy for you, Jon. I’m not particularly surprised though. You’re a brilliant contractor.”

Jon did his best to smile at his wife, but he couldn’t quite manage it and he exhaled a deep breath. “There’s one market though that is starting to see quite a pickup in construction and neither Baratheon Projects or Snow Construction has any presence there. The three of us were talking about how we can break into it.”

“Where?”

“The Neck.”

Sansa didn’t say anything to that. She looked at him, staying quiet, knowing that there was more to hear.

“They asked me if I would be willing to move to the Neck,” Jon finished, his stomach coiled with anticipation. He had absolutely no idea how Sansa would react to this and it was that absolute unknown that was making him so nervous. Perhaps if he had _any_ idea how this conversation might proceed from this point, he would feel a little bit better about having it.

“They want us to move to the Neck?” Sansa finally spoke.

“They obviously aren’t expecting an answer tonight or even this week,” Jon hurried out. “They obviously know this is a massive decision for us and our family.”

Sansa was quiet for another moment. “Why does it have to be you? Can’t someone from Baratheon Projects go?” She rightly wondered.

“The Neck is the North and the whole reason the Baratheon brothers wanted me and my company in the first place is because I’m in the North and it’s hard for contractors from the South to break in up here. And,” Jon paused to take a deep breath. “It really would be building Snow Construction from the ground up again in a completely new market where I don’t have any of the relationships I have in other parts of the North and I’m the one who owns the company so it would have to be me.”

Again, Sansa fell quiet as she thought that over. She gently moved her feet out from under Martha’s body and the dog responded to that by shifting herself so she could fall back onto her side, stretching out. Sansa placed her feet on the floor and turned more towards Jon.

“I know this is a lot. _A lot_. The kids are all in school, you have your job, our whole families are here, my sponsor and my AA meetings, Dr. Tarth and your therapy…” he reached out and took both of Sansa’s hands in his.

She held onto them and didn’t say a word. Her mind was obviously racing and Jon didn’t want to keep going on and on until she had been able to process some of what she had already said.

But minutes ticked by and Sansa still wasn’t saying anything.

“This wouldn’t be ideal, but you and the kids could stay in Wintertown and I could move to the Neck by myself. I could come back up every weekend-”

“That’s a stupid suggestion,” Sansa cut him off before he could even finish.

Jon actually found himself able to smile a little at that and Sansa leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Jon gently pulled his hands from hers and wrapped both of his arms around her, she nestling into him, one of her hands resting on his chest, over his heart.

“The Neck,” Sansa said quietly; almost to herself. “I don’t know anything about the Neck.”

“Neither do I.”

“We’d have to do a lot of research. Take a couple of visits down there.”

“Stannis already told me that if we do decide to do this, they will cover all moving expenses. And I’d be getting a bump in pay, too.”

“What about Tormund, Edd and Val?”

“They can decide to stay up here. I’m thinking of making Edd my Head Foreman. Or they can come to the Neck, too. There’s going to be plenty of work to do.” Jon hoped his original team would come, but this was a big decision and none of them had kids to think about. Uplifting one’s entire life and moving somewhere completely new, it was a big decision for anyone.

“Our parents definitely aren’t going to like this,” Sansa then noted. “And Brandon’s thirteen. There’s no way that he’s going to like this.”

“Sansa.” Jon pulled his head back so he could look to her and Sansa tilted her face up so she could look to his. “We don’t _have_ to do this,” he said. “I know this is a huge decision and our entire life is here.”

She was quiet. She looked to his face before moving her head back down, resting it on the front of his shoulder, and Jon rested his lips to where her forehead and hairline met.

He thought about leaving this house – years earlier, they leaving little Brandon with his parents and walking down just a few houses away to look at it during an open house. Both he and Sansa fell in love with it the instant they walked in through the front door. They had both thought that this would be their house for the rest of their lives; a home to raise their children in and then someday, welcome their grandchildren in.

This would be a great opportunity for him and his company. And more money in his and Sansa’s bank account wasn’t a bad thing either, but could they really just pick up and move away from their home and make a new one for themselves in the Neck?

Brandon was thirteen, George and Eleanor were nine, Julia was six and Max was five. Wintertown, with all of their family either seconds or just a few minutes away, was all they had ever known. How selfish would it be of Jon to take them away from everything and take them somewhere completely new and strange? Sansa had a great job as a librarian with Winterfell University and obviously, the Neck would have libraries, too, but would it be as good as her job here? Not to mention that he would have to leave his AA support system here – and Osha his sponsor – and Dr. Tarth, Sansa’s therapist, had been a godsend to his wife. Jon couldn’t expect to just take Sansa way from her, too.

Sansa was quiet and he knew she was thinking of all of this, too.

There was so much to think about.

“Is this a really good opportunity for you?” Sansa asked quietly, tilting her head up to look at him once again.

Jon visibly paused and for half a second, he considered answering her question with a lie, but he knew that Sansa would see right through it so what would even be the point?

“It is,” he answered – still reluctantly, but truthful nonetheless.

Sansa took a moment to let his answer settle in her mind and then, without saying anything to that, she pushed her head up and she gently touched his lips with hers.

…


	2. Chapter 2

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/27464164@N07/49477675352/in/dateposted/)

…

As they said they would do, Jon and Sansa did their research. They dove right into it and learned everything about the Neck that they possibly could while keeping it from everyone what they were doing. They researched schools, homes, dialysis centers and decided that Greywater would be it for them. It was the largest town in the Neck; not big enough to ever be considered a city, by any means, but not small enough to be called a village. It was also located in the middle of the Neck so if there was a bid due or contracting job somewhere other than Greywater, Jon would be able to easily drive to it.

“I spoke with Mr. Seaworth already,” Sansa said as they both sat up in their bed with the children asleep in their rooms and Martha sprawled across the foot of their bed, keeping Sansa’s feet warm as always.

Jon immediately looked up from his tablet, where he was researching therapists listed and practicing in town.

“Winterfell University has different branches throughout the North and he said that I can easily transfer to the WU – Greywater branch if I want.”

Jon smiled. “That’s perfect,” he said and though Sansa was smiling, he saw something else in his wife’s eyes that made him pause. “Isn’t it?” He then asked.

“It is,” Sansa agreed with a nod. “But I think… at least for a while… I should stay home. Would that be alright? I just think making such a big move, it will be better for the kids if I’m home more and I’ll be able to get us all settled while you’re busy with work.”

“Sansa, only if you want,” he responded.

Sansa smiled at him. “I want,” she assured him. “I just feel that this will be best for everyone. You, me and the kids. And then, once we have our new life up and running, I’ll go and check out WU – Greywater.”

Jon leaned in and with a hand to the back of her head, he pressed his lips to hers. “I can’t thank you enough for… you’re being so amazing,” he told her.

She kept smiling and she blushed a little now. “So, I shouldn’t be supporting you?” She teased.

He smiled a little and shook his head as his hand fell from her head. “I just meant… this is a lot. Our entire life is going to change and you’re being amazing about it.”

“Would you rather me freak out and yell and scream about moving?”

“Of course not. I just…” he trailed off and then leaned in, kissing her again. “Thank you, Sansa.” He seemed to say it on a breath; as if completely overwhelmed and Sansa smiled, bringing her forehead to his.

“We’re doing this, Jon,” she told her husband quietly.

“We’re doing this,” he echoed.

…

They told the children over dinner the next night.

“The Neck?” Eleanor asked, her brow furrowed.

“Forever?” George added, his face matching his twin’s – a furrowed brow and a frown.

Sansa nodded. “Yes.” She gave all of the children a warm smile. “Your dad has gotten an amazing opportunity at work and that opportunity is in the Neck. We will move there and that will be our new home.”

“Can Mick come?” Max asked, referring to his stuffed hippo – his favorite character from _Hubba Bubba Hotel_ that he took with him everywhere; the hippo currently on the floor beneath the table, against Max’s chair.

“Of course Mick is going to come with us,” Jon was the one to answer. “We can’t move to the Neck, or anywhere, without Mick coming with us.”

Max smiled broadly. “Martha, too?”

“Martha, too,” Jon confirmed.

Now that it seemed like Max’s concerns had been addressed, he continued stabbing his rigatoni pasta noodles from his plastic bowl.

“Julia,” Jon then said, looking to his other side where their youngest daughter sat. “Do you understand?”

The little girl had just taken a gulp of milk and she swallowed before nodding.

“Do you have any questions?” Jon continued.

“It’ll be an adventure, Julia!” Eleanor told her sister.

“Can me and Eleanor still share a room?” Julia asked, looking to Jon.

“Your daddy and I have been looking at houses we can move into. During Spring Break, we were planning on taking all of us down there to look. We don’t want to choose our new house without all of you,” Sansa said.

“We learned about the Neck in Northern Geography,” George spoke up. “It’s hot.”

“Well, hotter than it is here, yes,” Jon said. “It can get a bit humid. It’s very different from Wintertown.”

“A swamp,” Eleanor offered.

“But it can get cold,” Sansa said, her eyes going to Brandon, who sat to her left and who hadn’t said a word. He was staring down at his own plate of pasta and meatballs and not even moving.

“Can we get a pool?” George gasped.

“A pool!” Eleanor exclaimed, her face lighting up. “Oh, daddy, can we get a pool?”

“Martha will hate it being humid,” George then realized, turning his head and looking down to the family’s Siberian Huskey, lying on the floor beneath the table.

It was Eleanor’s turn to gasp. “Oh, no, she will!”

“Why will Martha hate it?” Julia asked with a frown.

“Martha’s kind of dog hates the heat,” Eleanor explained. “That’s why the North is so perfect for her.”

“The Neck is still the North,” Jon reminded them. “But yes, Martha won’t necessarily love the heat. Your mom and I have talked about that already though. We can buy her cooling pads and we can always open the refrigerator door for her for a while.”

The kids seemed to like that, smiling and laughing at the idea.

“What about school?” Brandon suddenly broke his silence. “What about my friends?”

Sansa gave him the smallest smile. “Your dad and I have been researching the schools in Greywater and they are very good. Greywater High School actually ranks higher than Wintertown, if you can believe that. And they also have a very good cross country team. I know you talked about doing that in high school.”

“Alaric and I talked about doing that _together_ ,” Brandon frowned. “You know Alaric. He’s been my best friend since I was three.”

With that, he dropped his fork with a clang onto his plate and shoved himself away from the table, storming away. They listened to him stomping down the hall and then up the stairs and seconds later, his bedroom door slammed shut, making the four other children jump.

Jon looked as if he was about to follow after him, but Sansa stopped him with a shake of her head.

She took a deep breath and looked to George, Eleanor, Julia and Max and she smiled. “What else would you kids like in our new home?”

They all began answering at once – a pool seemed to be the most popular request – and Sansa and Jon smiled as they listened, nodding and occasionally commenting.

After dinner, as the kids helped clean up and Jon loaded up the dishwasher, Sansa wiped down the table and then began making hot chocolate for everyone.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Jon asked in a low voice as the kids chattered in the family room about which movie they should watch – while Eleanor made sure that no hot chocolate was spilled.

Sansa shook her head. “No, but thank you. It should be me.”

Jon kissed her on the temple at that and Sansa smiled at him before leaving the kitchen, armed with two mugs of steaming hot chocolate, Martha trotting after her.

Upstairs, Sansa carefully set the mugs down on the table in the hallway before knocking on Brandon’s closed bedroom door. “Brandon, can I come in?” She asked into the wood.

Not surprisingly, there was no answer from the other side. Her hand went to the knob and it turned, unlocked. She slowly pushed the door open, poking her head in. Brandon was on his bed, on his side, with this back turned towards the room. Martha took it upon herself to push into the room, jumping onto the bed to be with him and taking the hot chocolate mugs, Sansa then came in next.

“Brandon,” she said his name again, still quiet and gentle. She set the mugs down on the nightstand table and sat herself down on the edge of the bed. “I’ve made hot chocolate.”

“A bribe,” Brandon muttered.

“No, it’s because hot chocolate has always helped you and me feel better.” Sansa picked up her own mug and took a sip. “And I mixed dark and white chocolate tonight so it’s a little different.”

Brandon kept laying down, his back turned.

“I know you’re angry, Brandon, and sad and you have every single reason in the world to be. It’s not easy, moving away from the only town you have ever known, to go somewhere completely new. I’m nervous and scared, too, but I’m also excited.”

“You are?”

Sansa nodded. “I’m such a mix of so many things, but I know it will be okay. No matter how scared or nervous I am, I still have your dad and all of you kids and I know that we’ll all make it in the Neck if we have each other.” Brandon still didn’t turn over and she reached a hand out, resting it on his shoulder. He didn’t immediately shrug it off – like she was honestly expecting him to do. “You can feel everything you’re feeling, Brandon. I’m not going to tell you that you can’t. I can’t imagine how I would react if my parents told me that we were moving away from my home. Thirteen is awful enough.”

“So you and dad always tell me.”

Sansa nearly smiled at that. “I will say one thing to you though. This opportunity is a really great one for your dad, Brandon. What he is going to be doing in the Neck, it has the potential to be something truly amazing for Snow Construction. And I feel we need to help him with this because he has always done everything for us. Absolutely anything and everything. And now, it’s our turn to do this for him.”

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *mentally preparing myself for everyone to hate this chapter

…

“You can’t be serious,” Lyanna blinked at her son and daughter-in-law.

“You’re not going,” Catelyn added, the words flying from her mouth before she could stop them; not that she really wanted to stop them, she admitted to herself.

Sansa seemed to be expecting those words from her mom though. She and Jon had invited the whole family all over to their house for tea and cake Sansa had spent that afternoon, baking, and then, the bomb had been dropped. They both knew it wouldn’t be welcome news – to put it mildly; especially for their mothers.

“Mom, Jon and I are adults, perfectly capable of making decisions for our family,” Sansa said calmly.

“No, Catelyn is right,” Lyanna was shaking her head. “You can’t move away.”

Sansa looked to Jon, who was looking at her, and she gave him the briefest smile. It was what Jon needed and he squeezed her hand before he looked back to their parents and family.

“Sansa and I have talked long and we have thought hard about this,” he told them all. “Greywater is only two hours away from Wintertown. It isn’t as if we’ll never see each other again. And all of the construction and development happening in the Neck, this is a chance for my company to grow even more successful and if I can have a successful company, I’ll be able to take care of my family.”

Sansa squeezed his hand now. “You have always taken great care of us, Jon,” she told her husband softly.

Jon gave his wife a smile and she squeezed his hand again before both looked to their parents and family. Everyone was frowning at the couple and Sansa took a deep breath.

“Why did you have no issue when Arya said she was moving to Torrhen’s Square with Gendry?” Sansa asked her parents. “Torrhen’s Square is much further than Greywater. And when Bran and Meera moved to Dreadfort last year for Bran’s job, and took Farlen with them, I don’t remember this much of a refusal to let them go. Farlen is your grandchild, too. Is it because you knew that you would visit them all of the time?”

“That is different, Sansa,” Catelyn said, her frown deepening.

“ _Why_ is it different?” Sansa pressed for an answer.

“You and Jon know perfectly well why Bran and Meera moving away and you two moving away is different.”

Jon began to shake his head – not just at his mother-in-law, but at all of them. “That isn’t fair to Sansa and me.” He took a deep breath. “You want me to tell you all that we also want to move to Greywater because everyone here _always_ suffocates us?”

“Jon, don’t-” Arthur began to say.

“It’s true. And we get it. We do. What Sansa went through and then what I put myself and everyone through with my drinking, Sansa and I _get_ why it’s different for us, but…” he began to falter, searching for the words.

“But sometimes, Jon and I feel like we can’t breathe,” Sansa finished for him. “We sometimes feel like no matter what we do, one of our parents will have something to say about it or somehow involve themselves.”

“So, your response to this is to move two hours away and take our grandkids?” Lyanna rose her voice.

“Mom, I told you why we’re moving.”

“I don’t give a shit about the construction opportunities, Jon,” Lyanna snapped. “You are my only child. These are my only grandchildren. And now you’re taking them away from me. That is the most selfish thing I’ve ever heard, Jon,” she said even as Arthur put a hand over his wife’s in an attempt to calm her.

“You want to hear selfish?” Jon couldn’t stop himself; even with Sansa’s hand still in his, she squeezing it. “I made so many mistakes and I’ve been paying for those mistakes every day since I woke up in that hospital. I deserve to pay for those mistakes. But I don’t deserve to be guilted into letting those mistakes stop me from living my life.”

“You almost died, Jon,” Lyanna snapped.

“But I didn’t. I’m still here and I’ve been a husband and a father for _years_ and I won’t be guilted into not doing what I think is best for my family.”

Sansa squeezed his hand again and it looked as if Arthur was doing the same with Lyanna’s.

Mother and son stared at one another as the others in the room stayed quiet, watching them. And then, without a word, Lyanna stood up and stormed out, the back patio door shutting loudly behind her. Jon exhaled a held breath at her exit and then looked to Arthur.

“I’m sorry-” he began to say.

Arthur shook his head. “You two have had things to say. And this is a bit of a shock to all of us.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” Catelyn piped in.

“What about Osha and Gilly?” Ned finally spoke; having been quiet this whole time so his brain would have the chance to register this news. “And your therapy?” He asked, looking to his daughter. “You’ll still be going to therapy?”

“Of course,” Sansa nodded. “I’ve already spoken with Dr. Tarth and she personally knows two therapists in Greywater that she think will be a good match for me. Once our move is official and complete, I’ll be meeting with them both to see which one I like more.”

“And Osha and Gilly already know one another from meetings. Osha is going to step in and be there for Gilly and Gilly is good with that. As for me, Greywater is just like any other place. I’ll find a meeting and start going and try to find someone I’m comfortable with as my sponsor. And…” he trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

“It only works if you keep working it,” Sansa finished what is often said at his meetings for her husband with a smile and Jon smiled, too. She looked back to their parents. “I know this is a lot to process and I know we’re all feeling all sorts of things. But Jon and I truly think that this is a good thing for our family and we truly think that we can do this.”

“Of course you can do this, sweetheart,” Catelyn said with wet eyes. “And yes, we’re scared for you, but I suppose a large portion of that can be blamed on us.” She looked to Ned.

Ned looked to Jon and Sansa. “We just got into the habit of always taking care of you. No matter how old you both are and no matter how many kids you have.”

“And we can’t thank you enough for that,” Sansa said with her own wet eyes. “Everything you’ve done for Jon and done for me… we owe you everything.”

Catelyn and Sansa seemed to move at the exact same time, going towards and hugging one another as tightly as they possibly could.

“You make sure you send us pictures of every house you look at,” Catelyn said, pulling back to look at Sansa’s face, tucking hair back from her daughter’s face.

“Mom,” Sansa began to say.

“I didn’t say we were picking the house out for you. But we would like to see,” Catelyn said, managing a smile, and Sansa, sniffling, nodded, before they hugged again.

…

Lyanna was probably too old for this, but that didn’t stop her when she saw the warm glow coming from the playhouse at the top of the playground set Jon had built all of those years ago. She climbed up the rung ladder and poked her head into the square space. It was Brandon, leaning against one of the walls, reading a book by the light of a lantern.

“Knock, knock,” she knocked on the floor and Brandon lifted his head, giving her a small smile. “Oof,” she pulled herself into the room and got herself settled next to him. “What are you reading, love?”

Brandon held his place with his thumb and flipped back the front cover. “One of those _Hardy Boys_ mysteries Grandpa Arthur gave me. A little below my reading age, but I like them. Do you want something to drink?” He then offered, already moving towards a small cooler against the opposite walls.

“You kids are prepared up here,” Lyanna smiled. Brandon smiled, too, and handed her a Capri-Sun and then from an airtight plastic container, he pulled out a sleeve of Oreo Cookies. He came back and placed those between both of them and took one for himself as Lyanna stabbed the straw into the juice pouch. “How are you handling this upcoming move?” She then asked.

Brandon shrugged and didn’t answer right away as he chewed his cookie. “It sucks-” Lyanna knew that Jon and Sansa didn’t like him using that word, but she couldn’t find it in herself to correct him right now. “-but…” he sighed heavily. “I’m not the first kid who’s had to move away and start somewhere new. And George, Eleanor, Julia and Max are all super excited. I’ll get used to it. And dad… dad’s done so much for us, we can do this for him.”

Lyanna swallowed her juice at that. She looked to Brandon as he ate another cookie, clearly deep in thought, and she slowly took an Oreo for herself.

She remembered the first time she met him. He was three, in Sansa’s arms – looking _so_ much like his mama – and most little children would have been shy or even scared to be somewhere completely new, meeting two complete strangers, but not Brandon. He had smiled and laughed and even asked if he could watch _Hubba Bubba Hotel_.

It was as if he knew that she and Arthur were in his life now and they weren’t going to be going anywhere.

Lyanna had actually been the one scared to meet him because this little boy was so important in her son’s life and Jon already loved Brandon so, so much, as if he was his own son all along, and all she had wanted was this little boy to like her.

“Did you think of that on your own?” Lyanna asked.

Brandon smirked a little. “Mom did. But it sounds good, right?”

Lyanna let out a laugh. “It does,” she agreed.

“And it’s the truth,” he added.

Lyanna paused for just a moment. “It is.”

They were quiet for a moment, both helping themselves to another Orea each.

“Grandma?”

“Yes, love?”

“Greywater is only two hours away and in three more years, I’ll have my driver’s license.” Brandon looked at her, giving her a smile.

Lyanna smiled as well, almost laughing. “And you bet your butt you’ll be driving up to visit me as much as you can.” She put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into her side and kissing his head.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! Jon, Sansa and the kids all house-hunting in the Neck in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

…

The hotel they were staying at in Greywater had a waffle station for breakfast and Brandon actually smiled when he saw it. Jon and Sansa took the kids through the buffet line, getting everyone breakfast – and waffles – and the family managed to snag a table for themselves too small for their family, but one table was better than no table. The hotel was crowded that week – Greywater being a popular destination for other families on spring break with the heat and humidity and the large amusement park outside of town, ready to get a relieve from that lasting winters of the further North. 

“Can we go to the park?” George asked just before shoving a large forkful of waffle into his mouth.

“If we have time after looking at houses and other things, yes,” Sansa promised; another to the additional five other promises she had already made in regards to visiting the amusement park. “Max, you need to eat,” she then told the five-year-old, who was currently sharing a chair with Julia, but he was frowning and eating none of the food she had put onto a plate for him.

“I don’t like it,” Max said, his arms crossed over his chest.

“What don’t you like?” Sansa asked, cutting one of her own sausage patties on her plate while looking at his.

Without a word, Max pointed to a cube of cantaloupe that was a part of the fruit salad that Sansa had scooped out for him.

“Did you try it?” Sansa asked him next.

Max made a face, sticking his tongue out to boot.

“I like it,” Julia smiled as she picked up her own cube of cantaloupe and popped it into her mouth.

“I’m glad, sweetheart,” Sansa smiled as well.

On the other side of the table, Jon had his tablet out and with Brandon leaning from one side, Eleanor was leaning in from the other and he swiped through some pictures.

“Why aren’t they built on the ground?” Eleanor asked, frowning because she didn’t understand.

Jon gave her a smile and then swiped to the next picture. “Depending on where things are built in Greywater, a lot of the houses and businesses are built on special stilts because the swamp waters can rise and fall. There are some towns in the Neck where everything is built up on stilts because of the swamp. This hotel is built up on a hill so it doesn’t have to worry about that. But the houses we’ll be looking at this week, almost all of them are built up on stilts.”

“Huh,” Eleanor leaned in to get a closer look and Jon smiled again. “Can you build on stilts, daddy?”

“I can. It’s definitely not my specialty though, but hopefully, I can only get better at it.”

“I bet you’re great at it,” Eleanor grinned at him. Jon gave her a kiss on her cheek.

“Do the roads get flooded?” Brandon asked.

“They do. There are a lot of boats in the Neck that people use instead of their cars when the roads are flooded,” Jon said and Brandon’s eyes widened at that, instantly intrigued.

“Max, eat,” Sansa frowned, trying not to lose patience with the little boy.

This move to a completely new place – so different from Wintertown – was going to be hard on them all in the upcoming months, all hitting each of them at different times and all Sansa could do was try her best to be as understanding as she possibly could towards all of her children.

“I’ll eat it, Max,” Julia offered and before the boy could agree – or protest – she reached over and picked his cantaloupe up with her fingers, popping it into her mouth. Now that the offensive piece of fruit was gone, Sansa thought that that would be the end of it. But of course, no such luck.

“That was mine!” He huffed and shoved his sister in the arm for good measure.

“You didn’t want it,” Julia reminded him with her own shove into his arm.

“Enough,” Sansa said in her clipped tone so the kids knew she was not approving of their behavior.

“Hey!” George exclaimed through a mouthful of waffle as Sansa reached onto his own plate, taking his cube of cantaloupe and dropping it onto Max’s plate.

“Try it or don’t, but you all behave yourselves,” Sansa warned all of her children with a frown.

Frowning himself, Max sat up in his chair, taking the cantaloupe. Sansa ate her hash browns, pretending not to watch as Max brought the foreign fruit to his lips. He sniffed it, his nose wrinkling, and no sooner did he put it in his mouth did he lean over his plate and let it fall out again.

“Max,” Sansa frowned; or did her best to. (His overreactive display _had_ been slightly adorable, but she wouldn’t dare let on that she thought so.) “Well, now we know you don’t like it so we won’t try again.”

“Blah!” Max’s face was still turned up in disgust as he pushed the fruit away with his fork.

“Uncle Howland!” Brandon exclaimed and Sansa looked to see her oldest hurrying from the table towards the older man that had just stepped into the hotel’s breakfast room. Howland grinned at him and hugged the boy, slapping his hands on his back as if playing a drum beat and making Brandon laugh.

Howland Reed – Bran’s father-in-law and one of Ned’s oldest and dearest friends – wasn’t an actual uncle, but he might as well have been. Sansa had known the man for her entire life and now, her children had, too. Sansa went to him now with a smile and Howland beamed when he saw her, the two embracing. He was an uncle because they had all declared it so.

“I’m so glad you were able to meet us,” Sansa said once they parted.

Luckily enough, Howland was also from the Neck, having lived here for his whole life and he was free that day to join them as they looked at houses; his advice and expertise with the area invaluable in Jon and Sansa’s opinion.

“Are you kidding? I had to come when I heard there was going to be Snow in the Neck,” Howland smiled and Sansa laughed. He then went around, greeting each child with a hug and Jon stood, shaking his hand and hugging the man, thanking him as well for his help.

Eleanor slid off her chair. “Here, Uncle Howland,” she offered her chair to him and George moved over on his so they could both share.

“Thank you, Eleanor,” Howland smiled as he settled himself down.

“I have to get more coffee. Would you like some?” Sansa said, taking her cup.

“Please.”

“What about this one, Howland?” Jon leaned in towards him, showing him a house on the tablet. “This is the one we’re looking at first this morning. It’s only a block or so from an elementary school.” He then brought up the map on the real estate sight so Howland could see where this house was located.

Howland nodded. “It’s a good neighborhood. And it’s a good elementary school, too.”

Jon smiled and sighed – with relief – at the same time.

At the breakfast buffet, at the coffee station, Sansa was fixing three cups – for herself, Jon and Howland – and seeing something from the corner of her eye, she smiled, keeping her eyes down on the sugar and cream she was pouring into the cups.

“What are you doing, George?” She asked.

“Making myself another waffle,” the boy replied as he poured the batter into the maker. “And I have to get more cantaloupe. Someone took all mine.”

Sansa didn’t stop the laugh that she let out at that.

…

Toni was a young real estate agent – very young – but she had passed her test, got her license, and was very enthusiastic as well as well-researched in the homes Jon and Sansa wanted to look at that day. She had contacted them first when Jon and Sansa were on a real estate webpage for Greywater, having clicked on a button that “Yes, we would like to know more about this house”.

In front of the first house, everyone got out of the Snow family SUV, Howland got out of his car parked on the curb and Toni was already waiting for them on the bottom step, the woman smiling happily at their arrival.

“Hi, hi! I’m Toni!” She hurried down to meet them. “It is so nice to meet you finally!”

“It’s so nice to meet you, too, Toni,” Sansa met her halfway and they shook hands.

As the other kids eagerly chattered to mom, making sure she saw the house, Brandon stood back with Howland, looking up at it, his face blank and keeping his thoughts to himself. Eleanor, however, frowned as she looked up at the house and noticing, Jon crouched down next to her.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” He asked. “Don’t you like how it looks?”

Eleanor kept frowning, looking up at the light gray house with white trim. “The stilts aren’t that high.”

“Did you want them higher?”

Eleanor nodded. Jon smiled and kissed her on the temple.

“Max! Julia! Please be careful!” Sansa called after them as Toni led up the first short flight of stairs to the first deck and front door and the two youngest raced after her. She turned to Howland. “Uncle Howland, could you-”

“On it,” Howland said and Sansa smiled as the man went past her to follow the kids up the stairs.

She would have to get herself adjusted to that. Soon, it would just be her and Jon looking after these five with no other help. It would _certainly_ be an adjustment, but one she was ready to do.

Sansa turned as Brandon came to stand at her side. She gave him a smile and put her arm around his shoulders. “What do you think?” She asked.

Brandon smacked the back of his neck, killing the mosquito. “It’s great,” he grumbled.

Sansa’s smile dimmed just a bit; not going unnoticed by Brandon, but she did her best to keep it in place.

“It’s fine, mom,” he assured her.

Sansa squeezed her arm around his shoulders. “No, it’s not. I know that. But hopefully, it can be.” Brandon gave a small smile and nodded. “Do you see that?” She pointed to the house. It was a two story house, but when Brandon followed her finger, it looked like there was a third floor – a single turret. “Your dad and I saw the pictures online. We thought that that top floor would be perfect for you.”

Brandon looked at it and then slowly, he looked at her. “A tower?”

Sansa tried to read his face. “A tower bedroom. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”

She seemed to hold her breath as she awaited his answer, Brandon still staring up at the tower window.

“That is awesome,” Brandon decided with a grin and Sansa laughed before kissing his head.

He hurried towards the house after that and Sansa couldn’t stop from exhaling a deep breath. She then gasped and felt herself go completely frozen. A small green snake slithered across the driveway right in front of her, disappearing into the grass. She stayed frozen for another moment – as if the snake would come back out and come right for her – and then, finally, her heart began beating.

The Neck had snakes. A LOT of snakes. She would definitely have to get used to that.

The house was gray, built on stilts, and Sansa climbed the steps, following after her family. Jon was standing on the front deck that overlooked the driveway with Toni and George. George was standing on his toes, looking over the railing and down the street in one direction and then looking in the other. Sansa came to stand with them, putting a hand on George’s head as she listened to Jon and Toni’s conversation.

“The swamp doesn’t rise too high in this area, but you can never tell what it is going to do when it’s the wet season,” Toni was saying. “A few years ago, the water rose _everywhere_ in Greywater and then the year after that, the swamp didn’t rise at all. The swamp does what it wants to do.”

Jon looked to Sansa now that she had joined them. He smiled and she returned it.

George, however, frowned, looking back to his parents and Toni. “But if the garages are at ground level, won’t that mean that the cars get flooded?” He asked.

Jon grinned down at his son for the question and George grinned up at him.

“Residential garages built on ground level in the Neck have certain building codes,” Toni began and Jon was listening to every word closely. Sansa admitted to being very curious, too. She couldn’t get over it. The Neck was still in the North and yet, it honestly felt like an entirely different world. “It’s expensive, but less expensive than it would be to replace a ruined car. The garages are built with lifts so the car would be parked in a space that can be raised if the water rises.”

“Whoa, cool!” George’s eyes widened a bit at that and Toni laughed.

“Shall we go in?” Toni stepped back, sweeping an arm towards the front door. George went running ahead and Toni followed, leading Jon and Sansa.

“You alright?” Jon asked quietly, his hand brushing along the small of Sansa’s back.

“Hmmmm? Oh. Yes, I’m alright,” Sansa nodded quickly.

This place was really like an entirely different world.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much!


	5. Chapter 5

…

They looked at three houses that day. They loved the first one, didn’t necessarily care for the second one, and loved the third one. In the third one however, Howland shook his head and as Toni stepped away to give them some privacy, Howland brought Jon and Sansa out onto the deck through the kitchen that overlooked the backyard and the large swamp just beyond it.

“Not this one,” Howland shook his head. “See that?” He pointed to the swamp. “That is part of the swamp that’s here all-year. Not just waters that rise and fall during the wet season. You’d have the swamp in your backyard all of the time and alligators have been known to come up and snatch animals.”

Sansa paled at just the image of an alligator crawling up into their yard and killing Martha; or Max and Julia if the children played too close to the waters. Jon seemed to be having the same thought, his eyes slightly wide at Howland’s words, and the he then looked out to the swamp as if he was expecting an alligator to crawl out onto the yard right that instant.

“Right.” Jon cleared his throat and looked to Sansa. “Let’s take this one off the list.”

Sansa quickly nodded in agreement.

The kids were getting restless and cranky from house-hunting for too long and Jon and Sansa decided to call it a day. They had a very good idea of houses in the Neck now and they were both back to thinking of the first one they had looked at that morning.

“We’re going to talk about it more and then we’ll be in touch,” Jon promised Toni as they all shook hands.

They got all of the kids loaded into the SUV again and began the drive back towards their hotel, Sansa looking out the window as Jon drove, trying to already remember where things were – the grocery store, the Target, the post office. They passed a hair salon and Sansa realized that she would also have to find a new stylist when she and the girls needed their hair cut. (Jon could find himself a barber for him and the boys.)

Gods, there was just _so_ much. New doctors, a pediatrician, a dentist, a vet for Martha… the list just went on and on and when she thought of one thing, she thought of _another_ to add to it and she sighed before she could stop herself. Jon’s hand suddenly appeared on her thigh and Sansa instantly grasped his hand with hers, turning away from the window to look at him.

Both shared a small smile.

“McDonald’s?” Jon then suggested; which he would never do in a carful of kids if he wasn’t already planning on stopping and as soon as the kids heard the “M” word, they all began shouting and asking their parents if they could get this or that.

When Jon flicked on the turn signal to go into the parking lot, he looked into the rearview mirror to Howland following behind them and the man pulled in behind them without missing a beat.

Inside, Jon bought Happy Meals and Value Meals and the toys were either plastic horses or race cars, but all of the kids wanted the race cars.

“Max, you need to eat,” Sansa said once they had gotten themselves settled at a table and began digging in. But the little boy was too busy driving his car on the table and over the cardboard boxes of burgers. “Max,” she said again, reaching out to take the car from him before he could stop her.

“Mama,” he whined, frowning.

“Nope. You’ll get it back after you finish all of those chicken nuggets,” she told him and then slipped the car under her thigh for good measure.

Max frowned at her, but Sansa just raised an eyebrow at him. Sitting up, he then took a chicken nugget and was sure to take a massive bite of it, just in case Sansa missed it.

“Did you kids like or hate the first house?” Jon asked them all.

He was met with a chorus “Like!” and Brandon’s “It wasn’t awful” as he ate his French fries.

“And what do you think of Greywater?” Jon asked them next.

These answers varied.

“It’s hot,” both George and Eleanor said at the same time.

“I like the swamp!” Max exclaimed.

“Do you think the kids are nice here, mama?” Julia asked Sansa.

“I’m sure they are, my love,” Sansa smiled at her. “You’ll make friends in no time.”

Julia smiled at that and drank her milk.

She and Jon knew that the boy in Julia’s class – Hoagie Collins – who had been bullying her had stopped thanks to the teacher and his parents stepping in, to discipline him, but Julia had already said that she was excited to be moving away from him so she didn’t have to see him every day.

It made Sansa’s chest ache that her six-year-old daughter would worry about drinking teas or wearing dresses every day because of what other children might say about it. All Sansa could do was _hope_ that the kids were nice in Greywater and that her daughter wouldn’t be meeting another bully anytime soon.

“What do you think of it so far, Brandon?” Jon asked.

Brandon shrugged and kept his head down as he ate. “It will take some getting used to.”

“That’s for sure,” Jon agreed and Brandon lifted his head to smile at him, Jon smiling, too.

…

In the hotel, Jon had gotten – or rather, the Baratheon Brothers had gotten the family – two rooms connected with a door and as Brandon, George and Max slept in one, Eleanor and Julia slept in the other with their parents. It took a while to get all of the kids changed for bed and made sure teeth were brushed and as they all got settled in their beds – Jon promising again and again that yes, they could go swimming in the hotel pool tomorrow as well as take Howland up on the boat tour of the swamp he had suggested – each kid began falling off into their sleep after another.

Jon went into the bathroom to change into a pair of gym shorts and a black tee-shirt to sleep in and when he came out again, he could feel the night’s warm air coming into the room from the open balcony door. Eleanor and Julia were sleeping deeply in their shared bed and Jon silently opened the door just a little wider to slip outside before sliding it shut behind him.

Sansa was also in her pajamas – shorts and a tee-shirt like her husband – and was sitting on the lounge chair, the tablet in her hands. She looked up when she heard him and scooted forward, Jon taking the silent invitation and getting himself behind her, leaning back and Sansa moved back again, settling herself between his legs and her back to his chest. Together, they looked to the tablet and the first house they had looked at that day. Sansa was silent as she flipped through the pictures.

“I like that the bathroom is between two of the bedrooms,” she said quietly.

“Me, too,” Jon agreed.

Sansa fell silent again as she kept looking through the pictures. “And the master is a good size. We could put our bed between the two windows and get the light in the morning.”

“I like that.”

“Eleanor asked if we could paint hers and Julia’s room.”

“Of course we can. We can do anything you all want to do.”

His words made her exhale a shuddering breath and then, he could feel her body begin to shake. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her, and as soon as he did, everything within her seemed to break open and she began crying in earnest. She turned between his legs, more towards him, and he held her as she cried against the side of his throat.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she then began to gasp, repeatedly.

Jon shook his head and squeezed her in his arms. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Sansa. _Nothing_. Cry as much as you want.” His chest began to ache as his wife cried and he couldn’t think of what to say that would be of any comfort to her. “You and the kids have all been so amazing, Sansa. I’m the one who’s sorry for doing this to our family.”

Sansa shook her head as she pulled it back to look at him. “We want to do this, Jon. I swear it. And this is such an amazing opportunity for you. It’s just so much and everything is so different here…”

“Tell me about it,” he smiled a little. “We’re sitting outside in our pajamas in April and I’m still sweating.”

Sansa smiled, too, at that and Jon was so glad to see it. He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. The night was muggy and the outside balcony was screened in, which Jon was grateful for because he could hear all sorts of insects flying around in the dark and without the screen, they would be eaten alive at the moment.

“You’re so amazing and I will never be able to thank you enough for doing this,” he whispered, leaning in, brushing his nose against hers and then resting his forehead to hers. “You and the kids don’t have to do it though. I couldn’t live with myself if I made you or a single one of the kids miserable. You and the kids can stay in Wintertown and I can commute-”

“And I told you that we’re not doing that,” Sansa cut him off. “We’re a family and we’re moving as a family.”

Jon looked at her for a moment, almost smiling at the fierceness he saw on her face, but he didn’t. Instead, he nodded. “As a family,” he repeated. He exhaled a heavy sigh. “How do we know this is the right thing to do for us and our family?”

Sansa paused, thinking that over, and she then shook her head. “We don’t. We just have to do it and hope for the best. But no matter what, you and me will work at it so it can be the right thing. We can do this. I know we can do this,” she whispered the last part and it sounded as if she was trying to convince herself as much as trying to convince him.

He could see a fresh round of tears building in her eyes and he lifted his hands, framing her head between them and he kissed her gently on the lips. “Promise me you’ll tell me if you can’t breathe,” he whispered.

He admitted that he was relieved when Sansa didn’t pause before answering.

“I promise,” she whispered back. “Now you. You promise me if you feel like you need to smoke a cigarette.”

It was Jon’s turn to nod without hesitating. “I promise.”

Together, they moved their faces closer until they were kissing once again.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End. 
> 
> Thank you very much to those who read and commented on this one. I know moving them away wasn't the most popular idea for some of you, but I'm glad I was able to write a new chapter for the Snow family.


End file.
